Abstract:

A deposition apparatus includes a deposition source unit, a transport
mechanism for transporting a vaporized film forming material and a
blowing device for blowing off the transported film forming material. The
deposition source unit includes a vapor deposition source assembly, a
housing and a water cooling jacket. The vapor deposition source assembly
includes a gas supply mechanism, a gas inlet and a first material
evaporating chamber formed as one body. A heater of the housing heats a
film forming material in the first material evaporating chamber and the
carrier gas flowing in a plurality of gas passages. The vaporized film
forming material is transported by an argon gas. The water cooling jacket
is installed apart from an outer peripheral surface of the housing at a
certain distance and cools the deposition source unit.

Claims:

1. A deposition source unit configured to vaporize a film forming material
and transport the vaporized film forming material by a carrier gas, the
deposition source unit comprising:a vapor deposition source assembly;
anda housing accommodating the vapor deposition source assembly,wherein
the vapor deposition source assembly includes:a first material
evaporating chamber configured to accommodate the film forming material
therein and vaporize the accommodated film forming material; anda gas
supply mechanism having a plurality of gas passages, configured to flow
the carrier gas in the gas passages to supply the carrier gas into the
first material evaporating chamber, andfurther wherein the housing
includes a heating mechanism configured to heat the carrier gas flowing
in the plurality of gas passages and the film forming material
accommodated in the first material evaporating chamber.

2. The deposition source unit of claim 1, wherein the gas passages are
provided along a lengthwise direction in parallel to each other.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. The deposition source unit of claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition
source assembly further includes a gas inlet between the first material
evaporating chamber and the gas supply mechanism, the gas inlet
configured as a single body with the first material evaporating chamber
and the gas supply mechanism evaporating and having an opening for
introducing the carrier gas flowing in the gas passages into the first
material evaporating chamber.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. The deposition source unit of claim 6, wherein the gas inlet includes a
buffer space that temporarily stores the carrier gas between outlets of
the gas passages and the opening of the gas inlet.

10. The deposition source unit of claim 1, wherein the heating mechanism
is a heater installed at an outer periphery of the housing.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. The deposition source unit of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a
transfer path for transferring the film forming material vaporized from
the first material evaporating chamber, andthe deposition source unit
connects the transfer path to an external transport path so as to
transport the film forming material from the transfer path to the
transport path and blows off the transported film forming material from a
blowing device.

14. The deposition source unit of claim 13, further comprising:a second
material evaporating chamber installed at a position within the transfer
path, configured to further vaporize the film forming material.

15. (canceled)

16. A deposition apparatus comprising:a deposition source unit configured
to vaporize a film forming material and carry the vaporized film forming
material by a carrier gas;a transport path connected to the deposition
source unit, for transporting the film forming material vaporized in the
deposition source unit; anda blowing device connected to the transport
path, for blowing off the film forming material transported through the
transport path,wherein the deposition source unit includes a vapor
deposition source assembly and a housing accommodating the vapor
deposition source assembly,further wherein the vapor deposition source
assembly includes:a first material evaporating chamber configured to
accommodate the film forming material therein and vaporize the
accommodated film forming material; anda gas supply mechanism having a
plurality of gas passages, configured to flow the carrier gas in the gas
passages to supply the carrier gas into the first material evaporating
chamber, andfurther wherein the housing includes a heating mechanism
configured to heat the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas
passages and the film forming material accommodated in the first material
evaporating chamber.

17. (canceled)

18. A temperature controller for controlling a temperature of a deposition
source unit that is installed in a vacuum and vaporizes a film forming
material and carries the vaporized film forming material by a carrier
gas,wherein the deposition source unit includes a plurality of gas
passages for flowing therein the carrier gas which carries the vaporized
film forming material,further wherein the temperature controller
includes:a heating mechanism installed in the deposition source unit,
configured to heat the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas
passages; anda cooling mechanism installed apart from the heating
mechanism at a preset distance, configured to cool the deposition source
unit.

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. The temperature controller of claim 18, wherein the deposition source
unit includes:a first material evaporating chamber for accommodating a
film forming material therein and vaporizing the accommodated film
forming material;a vapor deposition source assembly having the plurality
of gas passages; anda housing accommodating the vapor deposition source
assembly, andfurther wherein the heating mechanism is installed in the
vicinity of an outer periphery of the housing, andthe cooling mechanism
is installed apart from an outer peripheral surface of the housing at a
preset distance.

22. The temperature controller of claim 21, wherein a surface of the
cooling mechanism facing the housing has a predetermined surface
roughness.

23. The temperature controller of claim 21, wherein a surface of the
housing facing the cooling mechanism has a predetermined surface
roughness.

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. The temperature controller of claim 21, wherein the housing includes a
transfer path for transferring the film forming material vaporized in the
first material evaporating chamber, andthe transfer path is connected
with an external blowing device installed outside via an external
transport path so as to blow off the film forming material, which is
transferred through the transfer path, from the blowing device.

28. The temperature controller of claim 27, wherein the deposition source
unit has a bottle-shaped neck portion which is narrowed at a position
where the transport path of the transport mechanism 200 and the transfer
path 115 is connected with each other.

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. The temperature controller of claim 27, wherein a plurality of the
blowing devices is arranged in parallel to each other, andthe cooling
mechanism has a mechanism for flowing a coolant in partition walls
configured to divide the plurality of blowing devices in the vicinity of
the deposition source unit.

32. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention relates to a deposition source unit and a
deposition apparatus for forming a desired film on a target object by a
vapor deposition method and a method for using the deposition apparatus.
Particularly, the present invention pertains to a heating method for a
carrier gas.

[0002]Further, the present invention relates to a temperature controller
of a deposition source unit for forming a desired film on a target
object, a temperature control method for the deposition source unit, and
a temperature control method for a deposition apparatus. Particularly,
the present invention pertains to a temperature control of the deposition
source unit by a heating and a cooling, and the deposition apparatus
including the deposition source unit.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003]Recently, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display using an
organic EL device, which emits light by using an organic compound, has
received considerable attention. Since the organic EL device utilized in
the organic EL display has many advantageous characteristics such as
self-luminousness, high response time, low power consumption and so
forth, a backlight is not necessitated. Thus, application of the organic
EL device to, for example, a display unit of a portable device or the
like is highly expected.

[0004]Such an organic EL device is formed on a glass substrate, and has an
organic layer sandwiched between a positive pole (anode) and a negative
pole (cathode). If a voltage is applied to the anode and the cathode of
the organic EL device, holes are injected into the organic layer from the
anode, while electrons are injected into the organic layer from the
cathode. Those injected holes and electrons are recombined in the organic
layer, so that light is emitted at that time.

[0005]In a manufacturing process of such a self-luminous organic EL
device, the organic layer is formed by depositing a desired layer by a
vapor deposition method. At this time, it is very important to accurately
control a film forming rate (D/R: Deposition Rate) of an organic material
because luminance of the organic EL device is improved by forming a
high-quality film on a substrate after the organic material is gasified
completely. For this reason, there has been conventionally proposed a
method for controlling the film forming rate by a temperature control of
the deposition apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open
Publication No. 2004-220852).

[0006]According to this method, a material receptacle is controlled to a
desired temperature by heating a heater installed in the material
receptacle, whereby a vaporization rate of the organic material is
controlled. The vaporized organic material is carried by a carrier gas so
as to be adhered to the substrate efficiently. At this time, if there is
a temperature gradient between the carrier gas and the vaporized film
forming material, the film forming rate of the organic material can not
be controlled with high accuracy, so that the organic material may not be
completely gasified. As a result, the characteristics of the film formed
on the substrate are deteriorated.

[0007]For this reason, in the above-described deposition apparatus, a
heater is also installed at a pipe for transporting the carrier gas
supplied from a carrier gas supply source to the material receptacle so
as to prevent the temperature gradient between the carrier gas and the
vaporized film forming material, whereby the temperature of the carrier
gas flowing in the pipe is controlled by means of heat from the heater.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problems to Be Solved by the Invention

[0008]However, when the inside of the deposition apparatus is maintained
under a vacuum, the number of gas molecules within the deposition
apparatus is very small. Therefore, the probability of collision of a
certain gas molecule with a residual gas molecule within the deposition
apparatus is very low. Since heat transfer efficiency is poor in such a
heat insulation state by vacuum, even when heating is performed to
control a certain portion within the deposition apparatus to a desired
temperature, it takes a considerable amount of time for the heat to be
transferred to that portion. Accordingly, in order to control the
temperature of the carrier gas to be substantially same as that of the
vaporized film forming material until the carrier gas reaches the
material receptacle by flowing in the pipe, the pipe through which the
carrier gas passes needs to have a sufficiently long length, which
results in scale-up of the deposition apparatus.

[0009]The problem of the scale-up of the deposition apparatus is worsened
when the flow rate of the carrier gas is high. When the carrier gas flows
in a pipe having a uniform diameter, the flow velocity of the carrier gas
increases with the rise of the flow rate of the carrier gas, so that
heating efficiency by the heater is deteriorated. Accordingly, since the
pipe through which the carrier gas passes needs to be further lengthened
when the flow rate of the carrier gas is high, larger installation space
and more heating equipment are required. However, the scale-up of the
deposition apparatus is not desirable for the reason that it causes
deterioration of exhaust efficiency and increase of product manufacturing
cost.

[0010]In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a
deposition source unit and a deposition apparatus capable of improving
heating efficiency and exhaust efficiency while reducing an installation
space, and a method for using the deposition apparatus.

[0011]Meanwhile, if heat is generated from a part of the deposition
apparatus, accurate control of the vaporization rate of the film forming
material may become difficult because of heat radiation or heat transfer,
so that the characteristic of the film formed on the substrate may be
degraded. Thus, a structure capable of avoiding heat conduction or
radiated heat transfer is necessitated so as to facilitate a temperature
control in the vicinity of a material evaporating chamber.

[0012]As one example, there is considered a method in which a heating
device and a cooling device is arranged as one body and the heating
device is directly cooled by flowing a coolant by the cooling device, so
that the temperature of the material evaporating chamber can be prevented
from increasing to a high temperature due to the heating device, thereby
controlling the material evaporating chamber to a desired temperature.
However, the heater is typically controlled at a high temperature equal
to or higher than about 200° C. Thus, if the cooling device is
installed as one body with the heating device such as the heater, the
coolant may be vaporized, resulting in damage and malfunction of the
cooling device. Accordingly, the heating device and the cooling device
can not be arranged integrally.

[0013]Further, cooling by natural heat radiation may be considered.
However, since the heat transfer efficiency in a vacuum is poor as
mentioned above, it takes a considerable amount of time to cool a certain
portion of the deposition apparatus to a desired temperature. Thus, this
method is unpracticable.

[0014]In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a
temperature controller of the deposition source unit capable of carrying
out a temperature control efficiently by providing a cooling mechanism
away from a heating device at a predetermined distance, and also provides
a temperature control method for the deposition source unit, the
deposition apparatus and a temperature control method for the deposition
apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0015]In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a deposition source unit configured to vaporize a film forming
material and transport the vaporized film forming material by a carrier
gas, the deposition source unit including: a vapor deposition source
assembly; and a housing accommodating the vapor deposition source
assembly. The vapor deposition source assembly includes: a first material
evaporating chamber configured to accommodate the film forming material
therein and vaporize the accommodated film forming material; and a gas
supply mechanism having a plurality of gas passages, configured to flow
the carrier gas in the gas passages to supply the carrier gas into the
first material evaporating chamber. Further, the housing includes a
heating mechanism configured to heat the carrier gas flowing in the
plurality of gas passages and the film forming material accommodated in
the first material evaporating chamber.

[0016]Here, the term "vaporization" implies not only the phenomenon that a
liquid is converted into a gas but also a phenomenon that a solid is
directly converted into a gas without becoming a liquid (i.e.,
sublimation).

[0017]In this configuration, the vapor deposition source assembly having
the first material evaporating chamber for accommodating the film forming
material therein and the gas supply mechanism for supplying the carrier
gas from the plurality of gas passages is accommodated in the housing.
Further, the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas passages and the
film forming material accommodated in the first material evaporating
chamber are heated by the heating mechanism installed in the housing.

[0018]In this way, the gas supply mechanism is accommodated in the
deposition source unit compactly. Accordingly, a flow velocity of the
carrier gas flowing through the plurality of gas passages is reduced
while it passes through narrow spaces of the gas passages. As a result,
the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas passages within the
deposition source unit can be sufficiently heated by the heating
mechanism. In this way, a temperature gradient can not be generated
between a temperature of the carrier gas and a vaporization temperature
of the film forming material when the carrier gas reaches the first
material evaporating chamber. Thus, a film forming rate can be controlled
more accurately, and the film forming material can be completely
gasified. As a result, a film having a desired characteristic can be
formed on a target object.

[0019]Further, with this configuration, a long pipe and equipment for
heating the long pipe are not necessitated, so that the deposition
apparatus can be scaled down. Accordingly, gas exhaust efficiency can be
improved and manufacturing cost of the product can be lowered.

[0020]The plurality of gas passages of the gas supply mechanism
accommodated in the deposition source unit may have various
configurations. For example, the gas passages may be provided along a
lengthwise direction in parallel to each other.

[0021]With this configuration, since the carrier gas flows in the
plurality of gas passages arranged in the lengthwise direction in
parallel to each other, conductance of the carrier gas flowing in each
gas passage can be maintained substantially same. Thus, a flow velocity
of the carrier gas flowing in each gas passage can be set to be the
substantially same. As a result, the carrier gas flowing in the
respective gas passages within the deposition source unit can be heated
uniformly, and a temperature gradient can not be generated between the
carrier gas introduced in the first material evaporating chamber and the
vaporized film forming material. Thus, the film forming material can be
completely gasified, and the film forming rate can be controlled highly
accurately.

[0022]Further, the gas passages may be arranged so as to be uniformly
heated by the heating mechanism. In this configuration, the carrier gas
flowing in the plurality of gas passages is heated uniformly, and the
carrier gas and the vaporized film forming material can be set to be a
substantially same temperature. As a result, the film forming rate can be
controlled highly accurately, and the film forming material can be
gasified completely.

[0023]The gas passages may be arranged in multi-levels from a lengthwise
central axis of the gas supply mechanism toward an outer periphery
thereof. Furthermore, the gas supply mechanism may be formed in a
cylindrical shape, and the gas passages may be arranged in a ring shape
with respect to a lengthwise central axis of the gas supply mechanism.
Alternatively, the plurality of gas passages can be arranged
symmetrically or radially with respect to the cylinder-shaped central
axis of the gas supply mechanism.

[0024]In this way, by installing the plurality of gas passages, the gas
supply mechanism can be accommodated in the unit compactly, and heating
efficiency for the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas passages
can be improved. As a result, the carrier gas and the vaporized film
forming material can be controlled to the substantially same temperature.
Thus, the film forming rate can be controlled accurately and the
apparatus can be scaled down.

[0025]The vapor deposition source assembly may further include a gas inlet
between the first material evaporating chamber and the gas supply
mechanism. The gas inlet is configured as a single body with the first
material evaporating chamber and the gas supply mechanism evaporating and
the gas inlet has an opening for introducing the carrier gas flowing in
the gas passages into the first material evaporating chamber.

[0026]In this configuration, the carrier gas is introduced into the first
material evaporating chamber from the opening of the gas inlet via the
plurality of gas passages. For example, by forming the opening of the gas
inlet with lattice-patterned pores, a mesh-shaped member and a porous
member, the carrier gas can be introduced into the first material
evaporating chamber uniformly through the lattice-patterned pores, the
openings of the mesh-shaped member or gaps between pores of the porous
member while its flow velocity is suppressed. With this configuration,
since the carrier gas can be introduced energetically, non-uniform shape
of the film forming material accommodated in the first material
evaporating chamber can be prevented (see FIGS. 7A and 7B).

[0027]The non-uniform shape of the film forming material is not desirable
because it causes a change in a vaporizing rate of the film forming
material due to a change in a contact state between a wall surface of the
material receptacle and the film forming material, thus resulting in a
fluctuation of a film forming rate and incomplete gasification of the
film forming material. In this way, if a film formation is performed by
the incompletely gasified film forming material, a quality of an obtained
film may be degraded, resulting in a deterioration of brightness of an
organic EL device.

[0028]With the above-described configuration, however, since the
non-uniform shape of the film forming material can be prevented, the film
forming rate can be controlled with high accuracy. Therefore, the film
forming material can be completely gasified, and a high-quality film can
be formed on the target object.

[0029]The opening of the gas inlet may be installed apart from a material
input port provided in the first material evaporating chamber at a preset
distance. Further, the opening of the gas inlet may be formed by any one
of lattice-patterned pores, a mesh-shaped member and a porous member.

[0030]In this configuration, the carrier gas is transported into the first
material evaporating chamber at a position distanced apart from the film
forming material accommodated in the first material evaporating chamber.
Further, when the carrier gas passes through the lattice-patterned pores,
the openings of the mesh-shaped member or gaps between pores of the
porous member, it is transported into the first material evaporating
chamber after its flow velocity is reduced. Accordingly, non-uniform
shape or backflow of the film forming material due to an influence of a
flow of the transported carrier gas can be avoided. As a result, the film
forming rate can be controlled highly accurately, and a deterioration of
material efficiency due to the backflow of the material and a reduction
of an apparatus maintenance cycle can be avoided. Thus, the manufacturing
cost can be reduced, while throughput is improved during the manufacture.

[0031]The gas inlet may include a buffer space that temporarily stores the
carrier gas between outlets of the gas passages and the opening of the
gas inlet. In this configuration, while the carrier gas is staying in the
buffer region temporarily via the gas passages, the flow velocity of the
carrier gas can be reduced and uniform. Thus, non-uniform shape or
backflow of the film forming material can be prevented, so that the
high-quality film can be formed on the target object.

[0032]The heating mechanism may be a heater installed at an outer
periphery of the housing. In this configuration, the vapor deposition
source assembly in the housing can be effectively heated by the heater
installed at the outer periphery of the housing. Thus, heating efficiency
can be improved, and the apparatus can be scaled down. As a result, the
high-quality film can be formed on the target object by controlling the
film forming rate accurately. Further, by improving the gas exhaust
efficiency, improvement of throughput and reduction of manufacturing cost
can be accomplished.

[0033]The housing may accommodate the vapor deposition source assembly in
a detachable manner. In this configuration, since the material receptacle
is detachable without being fixed to the deposition apparatus,
replenishment of the material can be performed easily.

[0034]A cover having lattice-patterned pores, mesh-shaped openings or
hole-shaped openings may be detachably installed at the first material
evaporating chamber. In this configuration, the vaporized film forming
material can fly to the outside of a receptacle from the mesh-shaped
openings or holes, so that a backflow of the film forming material in the
receptacle can be prevented.

[0035]The housing may include a transfer path for transferring the film
forming material vaporized from the first material evaporating chamber,
and the deposition source unit may connect the transfer path to an
external transport path so as to transport the film forming material from
the transfer path to the transport path and may blow off the transported
film forming material from a blowing device.

[0036]In this configuration, the film forming material vaporized in the
first material evaporating chamber is efficiently transported through the
transfer path by the carrier gas and then is blown off from the blowing
device after reaching the blowing device via the transport path. Thus,
the vaporized film forming material can be adhered to the target object
while controlling the film forming rate with high accuracy. As a result,
the high-quality film can be formed on the target object.

[0037]The deposition source unit may further include a second material
evaporating chamber installed at a position within the transfer path,
configured to further vaporize the film forming material. The second
material evaporating chamber is installed at a position closer to the
transport path than the first material evaporating chamber. Since the
transport path is typically controlled to about 450° C., a
temperature of the second material evaporating chamber is typically
higher than a temperature of the first material evaporating chamber U.
Accordingly, the film forming material passing through the transfer path
is further vaporized in the second material evaporating chamber.
Accordingly, the film forming material carried by the carrier gas without
having been completely gasified can be vaporized completely again. As a
result, a higher-quality film can be uniformly formed on the substrate,
and the material efficiency can be improved.

[0038]The second material evaporating chamber may be formed by any one of
lattice-patterned pores, a mesh-shaped member and a porous member. In
this configuration, the incompletely gasified film forming material can
be sufficiently vaporized when it passages through the lattice-patterned
pores, the openings of the mesh-shaped member or gaps between pores of
the porous member.

[0039]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a deposition apparatus including: a deposition source unit
configured to vaporize a film forming material and carry the vaporized
film forming material by a carrier gas; a transport path connected to the
deposition source unit, for transporting the film forming material
vaporized in the deposition source unit; and a blowing device connected
to the transport path, for blowing off the film forming material
transported through the transport path. The deposition source unit
includes a vapor deposition source assembly and a housing accommodating
the vapor deposition source assembly. Further, the vapor deposition
source assembly includes: a first material evaporating chamber configured
to accommodate the film forming material therein and vaporize the
accommodated film forming material; and a gas supply mechanism having a
plurality of gas passages, configured to flow the carrier gas in the gas
passages to supply the carrier gas into the first material evaporating
chamber. Further, the housing includes a heating mechanism configured to
heat the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas passages and the
film forming material accommodated in the first material evaporating
chamber.

[0040]In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a method for using a deposition apparatus including a
deposition source unit configured to vaporize a film forming material and
carry the vaporized film forming material by a carrier gas; a transport
path connected to the deposition source unit, for transporting the
vaporized film forming material; and a blowing device connected to the
transport path, for blowing off the film forming material transported
through the transport path. The vapor deposition source unit includes a
vapor deposition source assembly and a housing accommodating the vapor
deposition source assembly. The method includes: vaporizing the film
forming material accommodated in a first material evaporating chamber by
heating the film forming material in the first material evaporating
chamber provided in vapor deposition source assembly by a heating
mechanism installed at the housing; flowing the carrier gas through a
plurality of gas passages formed in a gas supply mechanism installed in
the vapor deposition source assembly, while heating the carrier gas by
the heating mechanism; and introducing the heated carrier gas into the
first material evaporating chamber from lattice-patterned pores,
mesh-shaped openings or openings between pores, which are provided in the
vapor deposition source assembly.

[0041]In this configuration, the carrier gas can be efficiently heated
within the deposition source unit by the gas supply mechanism compactly
accommodated in the deposition source unit. Accordingly, a temperature
gradient can not be generated between a temperature of the carrier gas
reaching the first material evaporating chamber and a vaporization
temperature of the film forming material, so that the film forming rate
can be maintained uniform. As a result, the film forming material can be
completely gasified, thus enabling the formation of the high-quality
film. Furthermore, according to this configuration, since the deposition
source unit can be scaled down, gas exhaust efficiency can be improved,
so that manufacturing cost and unnecessary equipment investment can be
reduced.

[0042]In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a temperature controller for controlling a temperature
of a deposition source unit that is installed in a vacuum and vaporizes a
film forming material and carries the vaporized film forming material by
a carrier gas. The deposition source unit includes a plurality of gas
passages for flowing therein the carrier gas which carries the vaporized
film forming material. The temperature controller includes: a heating
mechanism installed in the deposition source unit, configured to heat the
carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas passages; and a cooling
mechanism installed apart from the heating mechanism at a preset
distance, configured to cool the deposition source unit.

[0043]Further, the cooling mechanism may have a cooling jacket installed
apart from the deposition source unit at a preset distance so as to cover
the deposition source unit. Furthermore, the cooling mechanism may have a
mechanism for flowing a coolant in partition walls configured to divide
the plurality of blowing devices in the vicinity of the deposition source
unit. Further, the heating mechanism may include a heater installed at an
outer periphery of the housing.

[0044]In this configuration, the deposition source unit including the
plurality of gas passages therein can be controlled up to a desired
temperature with high responsiveness by the heating mechanism installed
in the temperature controller and the cooling mechanism apart from the
heating mechanism at a certain distance. That is, the temperature
controller cools the deposition source unit to a temperature slightly
lower than a target temperature, and then heats the carrier gas supplied
in the plurality of gas passages to a desired temperature by the heating
mechanism.

[0045]As described above, the cooling mechanism is installed apart from
the heating mechanism at a certain distance and a specific portion
serving as a temperature control target is previously cooled down to the
temperature slightly lower than the target temperature, whereby the
heating mechanism can quickly control the specific portion up to the
target temperature even in a vacuum where the heat transfer efficiency is
poor. Further, by absorbing the heat generated from the heating mechanism
by the cooling mechanism, a heat transfer to a component except the
specific portion as a target can be prevented. Accordingly, the
temperature of the carrier gas can be quickly and accurately controlled
to be the same as that of the film forming material vaporized from the
material receptacle even in the vacuum. As a result, a high-quality film
can be formed on a target object.

[0046]The deposition source unit may be cooled by allowing a coolant to
flow in the cooling mechanism. Desirably, water may be used as the
coolant in consideration of manufacturing cost.

[0047]The cooling mechanism may be installed apart from the heating
mechanism at a preset distance. In this configuration, since the distance
from the heating mechanism to the cooling mechanism is equal, the heating
mechanism can be cooled uniformly by the cooling mechanism. Accordingly,
a transfer of heat generated from the heating mechanism to the vicinity
of the material receptacle can be avoided effectively. Thus, the
temperature in the vicinity of the material receptacle can be controlled
more accurately.

[0048]At this time, the deposition source unit may include: a first
material evaporating chamber for accommodating a film forming material
therein and vaporizing the accommodated film forming material; a vapor
deposition source assembly having the plurality of gas passages; and a
housing accommodating the vapor deposition source assembly. The heating
mechanism may be installed in the vicinity of an outer periphery of the
housing, and the cooling mechanism may be installed apart from an outer
peripheral surface of the housing at a preset distance.

[0049]In this configuration, since the deposition source is compactly
designed as a unit integrating the vapor deposition source assembly and
the housing, the heating efficiency of the carrier gas can be improved,
and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced. As a result,
improvement of throughput and reduction of manufacturing cost can be
accomplished by improving gas exhaust efficiency.

[0050]A surface of the cooling mechanism facing the housing may have a
predetermined surface roughness. Further, a surface of the housing facing
the cooling mechanism may have a predetermined surface roughness.

[0051]In this configuration, by roughening the facing surfaces of the
cooling mechanism or the housing, their surface areas can be enlarged.
Accordingly, the housing can radiate the heat generated by the heating
mechanism to the outside effectively, and the cooling mechanism can
effectively absorb the heat generated by the hosing (heating mechanism)
to the inside thereof.

[0052]A surface of the cooling mechanism facing the housing may be
processed so as to absorb heat readily. Further, a surface of the housing
facing the cooling mechanism may be processed so as to radiate heat
readily.

[0053]In this configuration, the housing radiates external heat whereas
the cooling mechanism absorbs it. As a result, by allowing the housing to
have a high heat radiation rate and the cooling mechanism to have a high
heat absorption rate, the housing can be more efficiently cooled by the
cooling mechanism even under the vacuum where a heat transfer efficiency
is poor, and an excessive temperature rise of the inside of the
deposition source unit can be prevented. Furthermore, the cooling
mechanism's surface facing the housing and the housing's surface facing
the cooling mechanism may be undergone through surface processing such as
sandblast to improve the heat radiation rate and the heat absorption
rate.

[0054]The vapor deposition source assembly may be detachably accommodated
in the housing. In this configuration, since the material receptacle is
not fixed to the deposition apparatus and is separated therefrom, the
material can be replenished easily. Further, in conventional maintenance
for the material replenishment or the like, the operation of the
apparatus has to be stopped for almost a day until the deposition source
is naturally cooled down. In accordance with the above-described
configuration, however, maintenance time can be shortened because the
deposition source unit is compulsively cooled by the cooling mechanism.

[0055]The housing may include a transfer path for transferring the film
forming material vaporized in the first material evaporating chamber, and
the transfer path may be connected with an external blowing device
installed outside via an external transport path so as to blow off the
film forming material, which is transferred through the transfer path,
from the blowing device.

[0056]When the vaporized film forming molecules flow in the transport path
along with the carrier gas, the temperature of the transport path needs
to be set to be higher than a temperature in the vicinity of the material
receptacle in order to adhere a greater amount of vaporized film forming
molecules to the target object, while the vaporized film forming
molecules are hardly adhered to the transport path. It is because an
increase of the temperature of the transport path accompanies a decrease
of adhesion coefficient, and also makes the vaporized film forming
molecules more difficult to be adhered to the transport path. Thus, the
temperature of the transport path is controlled to, e.g., about
450° C.

[0057]In this way, if the temperature of the transport path is set to be
high, heat may be generated from the vicinity of the transport path, and
the heat is transferred to the vicinity of the material receptacle by
heat conductance or radiation, thus making it difficult to control the
temperature in the vicinity of the material receptacle. Thus, there is a
demand for a method that suppresses heat transfer by heat conductance or
radiation in order to facilitate the temperature control in the vicinity
of the material receptacle.

[0058]In the above configuration, radiated heat or conducted heat is
absorbed by the cooling mechanism installed apart from the transport path
at a certain distance. Thus, the vaporized film forming material is not
affected by the heat generated from the transport path, so that it can be
efficiently transported to the blowing device without being adhered to
the transport path. As a result, a high-quality film can be formed on the
target object by the vaporized film forming molecules blown off from the
blowing device after reaching the blowing device via the transport path.

[0059]The deposition source unit may have a bottle-shaped neck portion
which is narrowed at a position where the transport path of the transport
mechanism 200 and the transfer path 115 is connected with each other.

[0060]The bottle-shaped front portion (connection portion between the
transfer path and the transport path, that is, neck portion) of the
deposition source unit has a small cross section, so that it has a higher
heat resistance than that of the body portion (head portion) having a
large cross section. With this configuration, the heat resistance of the
neck portion of the deposition source unit can be set to be higher than
that of the head portion of the deposition source unit. That is, heat
transfer efficiency from the transport mechanism to the head portion of
the deposition source unit via the neck portion thereof can be lowered.
Accordingly, an excessive temperature rise of the first material
evaporating chamber U in the head portion of the deposition source unit
can be suppressed.

[0061]A connection portion between the transfer path and the transport
path may be sealed by a metal seal. In this configuration, even in case
that the transport path is controlled to a high temperature, the
connection portion between the transfer path and the transport path can
be securely sealed by the metal seal having high heat resistance.

[0062]Moreover, the connection portion of the transfer path and the
transport path may be in contact with only the metal seal without
contacting with any other material. In this configuration, since a
non-contact portion is configured as a vacuum space, thermal conductivity
from the transport path to the deposition source unit can be reduced by
heat insulation by vacuum. As a result, a temperature gradient is
generated between the transport path and the deposition source unit, so
that an excessive temperature rise of the inside of the deposition source
unit can be prevented.

[0063]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method for controlling a temperature of a deposition source
unit installed in a vacuum and configured to vaporize a film forming
material and carry the vaporized film forming material by a carrier gas.
The method includes: flowing the carrier gas for transporting the
vaporized film forming material through a plurality of gas passages
provided in the deposition source unit; heating the carrier gas which is
flowing through the plurality of gas passages by a heating mechanism
installed in the deposition source unit; and cooling the deposition
source unit by a cooling mechanism installed apart from the heating
mechanism at a preset distance.

[0064]In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a deposition apparatus installed in a vacuum and
including a deposition source unit configured to vaporize a film forming
material and carry the vaporized film forming material by a carrier gas;
a transport path connected to the deposition source unit, for
transporting the film forming material vaporized in the deposition source
unit; and a blowing device connected to the transport path, for blowing
off the film forming material transported through the transport path. The
deposition apparatus includes: a plurality of gas passages configured to
flow therein a carrier gas for carrying the film forming material
vaporized in the deposition source unit; a heating mechanism configured
to heat the carrier gas flowing in the plurality of gas passages; and a
cooling mechanism configured to cool the deposition source unit apart
from the heating mechanism at a preset distance.

[0065]At this time, the cooling mechanism may be provided in at least one
of a plurality of deposition source units connected to the transport
path.

[0066]In this configuration, the cooling mechanism can prevent an
excessive temperature rise of the inside of the deposition source unit
due to heat radiated from the adjacent deposition source unit as well as
from heat conductance or radiated heat from the transport path. At this
time, in case that the deposition source units connected to the transport
path are more than two, it may be desirable to install the cooling
mechanism at every deposition source unit. In case that the cooling
mechanism cannot be installed at every unit, however, it may be desirable
to first provide the cooling mechanism at a deposition source unit in a
central position, which is most highly likely to be affected by the heat
radiated from each deposition source unit, or at a deposition source unit
having a lowest control temperature.

[0067]In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a method for controlling a temperature of a deposition
apparatus installed in a vacuum and including a deposition source unit
configured to vaporize a film forming material and carry the vaporized
film forming material by a carrier gas; a transport path connected to the
deposition source unit, for transporting the film forming material
vaporized in the deposition source unit; and a blowing device connected
to the transport path, for blowing off the film forming material
transported through the transport path. The method includes:
accommodating the film forming material in a first material evaporating
chamber and vaporizing the accommodated film forming material in the
first material evaporating chamber; flowing the carrier gas in a gas
supply mechanism having a plurality of gas passages; and cooling the
deposition source unit by a cooling mechanism installed apart from an
outer peripheral surface of a housing for accommodating the first
material evaporating chamber and the gas supply mechanism at a preset
distance; and heating the first material evaporating chamber and the gas
supply mechanism by a heating mechanism installed in the housing.

[0068]In this configuration, the carrier gas can be heated to a desired
temperature after the deposition source unit is cooled by the cooling
mechanism. Accordingly, the temperature of each component of the
deposition apparatus can be controlled quickly and accurately even in a
vacuum where a heat transfer efficiency is poor.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

[0069]In accordance with the present invention as stated above, by heating
the carrier gas to the substantially same temperature as that of the
vaporized film forming material after cooling the deposition source unit
to a desired temperature by the cooling mechanism installed apart from
the heating mechanism at a certain distance, the film forming rate can be
controlled accurately even in a vacuum, so that the high-quality film can
be formed on the target object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070]The disclosure may be best understood by reference to the following
description taken in conjunction with the following figures:

[0071]FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration view of a cluster type
substrate processing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment and each
modification example of the present invention;

[0072]FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a deposition apparatus in
accordance with the embodiment and each modification example of the
present invention;

[0073]FIG. 3 shows a view for illustrating each layer of an organic EL
device formed by the deposition apparatus in accordance with the
embodiment and each modification example of the present invention;

[0074]FIG. 4A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the deposition
apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

[0075]FIG. 4B is a cross sectional view taken along a surface B-B of FIG.
4A;

[0076]FIG. 5A is a cross sectional view of a deposition source unit
including a water cooling jacket in accordance with the embodiment of the
present invention;

[0077]FIG. 5B is a table for showing a simulation result of cooling effect
obtained by using the water cooling jacket in accordance with the
embodiment of the present invention;

[0078]FIG. 6A is a cross sectional view of gas passages of a gas supply
mechanism in accordance with the embodiment and each modification example
of the present invention;

[0079]FIG. 6B is a cross sectional view of a gas introduction plate in
accordance with the embodiment and each modification example of the
present invention;

[0080]FIG. 7A is a view for explaining an effect of a gas introduction
plate in accordance with the embodiment and each modification example of
the present invention;

[0081]FIG. 7B is a view for explaining an effect of a gas introduction
plate in accordance with the embodiment and each modification example of
the present invention;

[0082]FIG. 8 is a graph for showing a relationship between a length of the
gas passages of the gas supply mechanism and a gas temperature in
accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

[0083]FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the deposition source unit in
accordance with a first modification example and a second modification
example;

[0084]FIG. 10 is a view for explaining a quantity of heat received by the
deposition source unit in accordance with the embodiment of the present
invention;

[0085]FIG. 11 is a graph for showing a temperature rise in response to a
quantity of heat received by the deposition source unit in accordance
with the embodiment of the present invention; and

[0086]FIG. 12 is a view for showing an effect obtained when the water
cooling jacket is installed at the deposition source unit in accordance
with the embodiment of the present invention.

[0113]Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Through
the whole document, same reference numerals denote like components that
have same structure and same function, and redundant description will be
omitted. In the specification, 1 mTorr is 10-3×101325/760 Pa,
and 1 sccm is 10-6/60 m3/sec.

[0114]First, a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus
10 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention will be
explained with reference to FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, a
manufacturing process of an organic light emitting diode, which is
performed by the substrate processing apparatus 10, will be described.

[0115](Manufacturing Process of an Organic Light Emitting Diode)

[0116]The substrate processing apparatus 10 in accordance with the present
embodiment is a cluster manufacturing apparatus including a plurality of
processing chambers, and it has a load lock module LLM, a transfer module
TM, a pre-process module CM and four process modules PM1 to PM4.

[0117]The load lock module LLM is a vacuum transfer chamber whose inside
is maintained in a depressurized state to transfer a glass substrate
(hereinafter, simply referred to as a "substrate") G from the atmosphere
into the transfer module TM in a depressurized state. Further, ITO
(Indium Tin Oxide) serving as an anode is previously formed on the
substrate G to be transferred from the atmosphere into the load lock
module LLM.

[0118]A multi-joint transfer arm Arm capable of making
extending/retracting and rotating motions is installed in the transfer
module TM. The substrate G is first transferred from the load lock module
LLM into the pre-process module CM by using the transfer arm Arm and then
is transferred into the process module PM1 and then into the other
process modules PM2 to PM4. The pre-process module CM removes
contaminants (mostly organic substances) adhered on the surface of the
ITO formed on the substrate G as the anode.

[0119]Processes for manufacturing an organic light emitting diode are
respectively performed in the four process modules PM1 to PM4. First, 6
organic layers are consecutively formed on the ITO of the substrate in
the process module PM1 by vapor deposition. Then, the substrate G is
transferred into the process module PM4, and a metal electrode (cathode
layer) is formed on the organic layers of the substrate G by sputtering.
Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred into the process module PM2,
and an unnecessary portion is removed by etching. Then, the substrate G
is transferred into the process module PM3, and a sealing film for
sealing the organic layers is formed thereon by CVD.

[0120](Consecutive Film Formation of Organic Layers)

[0121]Now, a process of consecutively forming 6 organic layers in the
process module PM1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 2, which
provides a schematic perspective view of a deposition apparatus. The
deposition apparatus 20 includes a rectangular processing chamber Ch. The
deposition apparatus 20 includes, in the processing chamber Ch, 6 sets of
three deposition source units 100a to 100f, 6 sets of transport mechanism
200, 6 sets of three valves 300, 6 sets of blowing device 400a to 400f,
and seven partition walls 500. The inside of the processing chamber Ch is
maintained at a predetermined vacuum level by a non-illustrated gas
exhaust unit. Further, each set of three deposition source units 100, one
transport mechanism 200, three valves 300 and one blowing device 400 will
be referred to as a vapor deposition device 600 and the respective set is
divided by partition wall 500.

[0122]The 6 sets of three deposition source units 100 have water cooling
jackets 150 for covering the respective deposition source units 100. The
6 sets of three deposition source units 100 and the water cooling jackets
150 have same cylindrical external shape and internal configuration, and
different kinds of film forming materials are accommodated in the
deposition source units 100. The 6 sets of one transport mechanism 200
have same rectangular external shapes and are arranged in parallel to
each other at a same distance such that one lengthwise (Z-directional)
end of each is fixed to a bottom wall of the deposition apparatus 20
while the other end is configured to support the blowing device 400. Each
transport mechanism 200 is connected to the three deposition source units
100 such that the three deposition source units 100 are arranged on one
sidewall thereof at a same distance in parallel, and each transport
mechanism 200 is also connected to the three valves 300 on an opposite
sidewall. The three valves 300 are arranged at equi-spaced positions
facing the deposition source units 100. In this way, the three deposition
source units 100 and their water cooling jackets 150 are arranged at the
same distance in parallel to each other. Further, the three valves 300
are connected to the transport mechanism 200 at positions facing the
deposition source units.

[0123]The six blowing devices 400 respectively held on the six transport
mechanisms 200 have a same structure of a rectangular shape whose inside
is partially hollow, and are arranged in parallel to each other at a same
distance. With this configuration, film forming molecules vaporized from
each deposition source unit 100 are blown off from an opening S1 provided
in the center of a top portion of each blowing device 400 after passing
through each transport mechanism 200.

[0124]The seven partition walls 500 are arranged in parallel to each other
at a same interval so as to separate adjacent vapor deposition devices
600 from each other, and serve to prevent a mixture of film forming
molecules blown off from the top opening S1 of each blowing device 400
with film forming molecules blown off from an adjacent blowing device
400. The deposition source unit 100 is allowed to be cooled by way of
flowing water in the partition wall 500 (not shown). A non-illustrated
sliding mechanism is configured to move the substrate G in a horizontal
direction slightly above each blowing device 400 while attracting the
substrate G electrostatically.

[0125]FIG. 3 provides a result of performing a 6-layer consecutive film
forming process by using the deposition apparatus 20 configured as
described above. First, while the substrate W is being moved above a
first blowing device 400a at a certain speed, a film forming material
blown off from the first blowing device 400a is adhered to the substrate
G, so that a hole transport layer as a first layer is formed on the
substrate W. Subsequently, while the substrate G is being moved above a
second blowing device 400b, a film forming material blown off from the
second blowing device 400b is adhered to the substrate G, so that a
non-light emitting layer (electron blocking layer) as a second layer is
formed on the substrate G. In like manner, while the substrate G is being
moved from a third blowing device 400c to a sixth blowing device 400f in
sequence, a blue light emitting layer as a third layer, a red light
emitting layer as a fourth layer, a green light emitting layer as a fifth
layer and an electron transport layer as a sixth layer are formed on the
substrate G by film forming materials blown off from the respective
blowing device. In this way, by forming the six layers of organic films
consecutively within the same processing chamber of the deposition
apparatus 20, throughput and productivity can be improved. Further, since
a plurality of chambers (processing chambers) need not be installed for
different types of organic films unlike conventional cases, a scale-up of
the equipment is not caused, so that equipment cost can be reduced.

[0126](Transport Path)

[0127]Now, a transport path of a film forming material vaporized from each
deposition source unit 100 until it is blown off from the opening S1 of
each blowing device 400 will be explained. As stated above, since the six
vapor deposition devices 600 have the same structure, a vapor deposition
device 600 for forming the fifth layer will be elaborated with reference
to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, which provide longitudinal cross sectional views
of the deposition apparatus 20 taken along a surface A-A of FIG. 2, and
thus description of other vapor deposition devices 600 will be omitted.

[0128]As shown in FIG. 4A, deposition source units 100e1 to 100e3 have the
same internal configuration. An end of the deposition source unit 100e is
connected with a non-illustrated argon gas supply source so that an argon
gas outputted from the argon gas supply source is supplied into the
deposition source unit 100e. The deposition source unit 100e, previously
cooled by the water cooling jacket 150, allows the argon gas to flow in a
gas supply mechanism 105 while heating the argon gas and then transports
the argon gas heated to a desired temperature into a first material
evaporating chamber U. In the first material evaporating chamber U, an
organic film forming material is accommodated in a material receptacle
110, and the organic film forming material is vaporized by heating the
material receptacle 110.

[0129]The vaporized film forming material flows in a transfer path 115
toward the transport mechanism 200 by a diffusion phenomenon using the
argon gas introduced in the first material evaporating chamber U as a
carrier gas. As illustrated in FIG. 4B which provides a transversal cross
sectional view of the vapor deposition device 600 taken along a surface
B-B of FIG. 4A, organic molecules and the carrier gas flow into a main
passage 205b from a bypass passage 205a of the transport path formed
within the transport mechanism 200 via the valve 300 after passing
through the transfer path 115, and they are sent toward the blowing
device 400, as shown in FIG. 4A.

[0130]The valve 300 is provided with a lever 305 for opening and closing
the valve 300. If the valve 300 is closed by the lever 305, the film
forming material and the carrier gas are blocked by the valve 300 and are
no more transported. If the valve 300 is opened by the lever 305, the
film forming material and the carrier gas are transported into the main
passage 205b of the transport path through the valve 300. In this way,
among the organic molecules vaporized from the deposition source units
100e1 to 100e3, only the organic molecules necessary for film formation
are allowed to pass through the main passage 205b of the transport path
and are transported up to the blowing device 400 while mixed with each
other.

[0131]The blowing device 400 has a blowing unit 405 in its upper portion
and has a branch unit 410 in its lower portion. The blowing unit 405 has
a hollow internal space S and the opening S1 opened in the center of its
top surface as illustrated in FIG. 2. The organic molecules transported
to the blowing device 400 by the carrier gas pass through one of four
branch passages 410 arranged such that the distances from a branch source
to respective branch destinations are all the same so as to make the
conductance of the carrier gas and the organic molecules passing through
the branch passages 410 uniform and then the organic molecules are blown
off toward the substrate G from the opening S1 communicating with the
space S within the blowing unit 405.

[0132](Internal Configuration of Deposition Source Unit)

[0133]Now, an internal configuration of the deposition source unit 100 of
the deposition apparatus 20 in accordance with the above-stated present
embodiment will be explained with reference to a cross sectional view of
the deposition source unit 100 shown in FIG. 5A.

[0134]The deposition source unit 100 includes a vapor deposition source
assembly As; a housing Hu configured to accommodate the vapor deposition
source assembly As; and a cover Fx for covering the housing Hu. The vapor
deposition source assembly As, the housing Hu and the cover Fx are made
of, e.g., stainless steel. The housing Hu has a bottle-shaped structure
having a difference in a diameter. That is, the housing Hu includes a
large-diameter annular portion (head portion Hu1 of the deposition source
unit) and a small-diameter annular portion (neck portion Hu2 of the
deposition source unit). A hollow space in the large-diameter annular
portion (head portion Hu1 of the deposition source unit) communicates
with a hollow space in the small-diameter annular portion (neck portion
Hu2 of the deposition source unit). The vapor deposition source assembly
As is detachably installed in the housing Hu, so that a film forming
material vaporized within the housing Hu can be transported by a carrier
gas.

[0135]A heater 120 is buried in the entire outer peripheral surface of the
housing Hu in a spiral pattern. The heater 120 is an example of a heating
mechanism that heats the carrier gas and the film forming material. The
cover Fx covers the housing Hu so as to allow the heater 120 to be
pressed from the outside.

[0136]The vapor deposition source assembly As includes the first material
evaporating chamber U, the gas supply mechanism 105, a gas inlet 125, a
gas supply port 130 for supplying the carrier gas, and a flange 135. The
material receptacle 110 is installed in a bottom portion of the first
material evaporating chamber U. The organic film forming material used
for forming each layer of FIG. 3 is accommodated in the material
receptacle 110. The first material evaporating chamber U and the transfer
path 115 communicate with each other.

[0137]The gas supply mechanism 105 has a cylindrical shape, and a
plurality of gas passages 105p are arranged therein in multi-levels. The
gas passages 105p in the present embodiment are provided in a lengthwise
direction in parallel to each other and have same diameter. As shown in
FIG. 6A which provides a cross sectional view of the gas supply mechanism
105 taken along a surface C-C of FIG. 5A, the gas passages 105p are
arranged in multi-levels to have the ring shape with respect to a
lengthwise central axis O of the gas supply mechanism 105 formed in the
cylindrical shape.

[0138]In this way, by providing the plurality of gas passages 105p within
the deposition source units 100 in a regular manner, a flow velocity of
the carrier gas can be reduced while it is flowing through the narrow gas
passages 105p. Accordingly, the carrier gas passing through the gas
passages 105p can be sufficiently heated by the heater 120. As a result,
the carrier gas can be sufficiently heated up to a temperature
substantially equal to a vaporization temperature of the film forming
material until it reaches the first material evaporating chamber. With
this configuration, a highly accurate control of film forming rate is
enabled, so that the film forming material can be completely gasified and
a high-quality film can be formed uniformly and stably.

[0139]Further, the gas passages 105p are arranged so that they may be
uniformly heated by the heater 120. Thus, the carrier gas flowing through
the respective gas passages 105p can be heated uniformly, so that the
carrier gas and the vaporized film forming material transported into the
first material evaporating chamber can have a substantially same
temperature. As a result, the film forming rate can be controlled with
high accuracy.

[0140]The gas inlet 125 is provided between the first material evaporating
chamber U and the gas supply mechanism 105 and is configured as one body
with the first material evaporating chamber U and the gas supply
mechanism 105, and serves to introduce the carrier gas flown through the
gas passages 105p into the first material evaporating chamber U. The gas
inlet 125 includes a plate-shaped member 125a configured to concentrate
the argon gas passed through the plurality of gas passages 105p of the
gas supply mechanism 105 and having a central opening through which the
concentrated argon gas is introduced into a buffer space B; and a gas
introduction plate 125 configured to introduce the argon gas in the
buffer space B into the first material evaporating chamber U through a
number of fine holes.

[0141]As illustrated in FIG. 6B which provides a cross sectional view of
the gas introduction plate 125b taken along a surface D-D of FIG. 5A, the
gas introduction plate 125b is provided with a set of fine holes Op. The
fine holes Op have a diameter φ of about 0.5 mm and are arranged in a
lattice pattern. The set of fine holes Op is provided at a position
higher than a height h of a material input port of the material
receptacle 110. Alternatively, instead of the lattice-patterned holes, a
mesh-shaped member or a porous member having a predetermined porosity may
be employed in the gas introduction plate 125b.

[0142]As illustrated in FIG. 7A, if a relatively large opening Os is
formed in the gas introduction plate 125b, the argon gas may be
introduced toward the film forming material at a considerably high flow
velocity, so that the shape of the film forming material becomes
non-uniform. The non-uniform shape of the film forming material is not
desirable because it causes a change in a vaporizing rate of the film
forming material due to a change of a contact state between a wall
surface of the material receptacle 110 and the film forming material,
thus resulting in a fluctuation of a film forming rate. Further, the
non-uniform shape of the film forming material may impede the
gasification of the film forming material. If a film formation is
performed by the incompletely gasified film forming material, the quality
of an obtained film may be degraded, resulting in a deterioration of
brightness of an organic EL device.

[0143]However, in the deposition source unit 100 in accordance with the
present embodiment, even if the conductance of the argon gas flowing in
the plurality of gas passages 105p provided in the gas supply mechanism
105 are non-uniform, a difference in the conductance may be absorbed
while the argon gas is being transported from the opening provided in the
center of the plate-shaped member 125a into the buffer space B, so that
the flow velocity of the argon gas can be reduced and uniform.

[0144]While the gas flow is controlled in this way, the argon gas is
transported into the first material evaporating chamber U from the entire
surface of the set of the fine holes Op of the gas introduction plate
125b at a low flow velocity without a deviation, as illustrated in FIG.
7B. Accordingly, a non-uniform shape or a backflow of the film forming
material accommodated therein can be prevented. The gently introduced
argon gas carries the film forming material vaporized from the first
material evaporating chamber U into the transport mechanism 200 through
the transfer path 115.

[0145]In this manner, by controlling the film forming rate with high
accuracy and gasifying the film forming material completely, a
high-quality film can be formed on the substrate G. Furthermore, by
avoiding a degradation of a material efficiency due to a backflow of the
material and a shortening of an apparatus maintenance cycle,
manufacturing cost can be reduced, and throughput in the manufacturing
process can be improved.

[0146]Moreover, as stated above, the argon gas is supplied from the gas
supply port 130 at a flow rate of about 0.5 to sccm, and the argon gas is
provided to the gas supply mechanism 105 from a through hole provided in
the center of the flange 135. Further, the transport mechanism 200 and
the deposition source unit 100 are connected with each other by a flange
140 installed at one end of the housing Hu.

[0147]The housing Hu accommodates therein the vapor deposition source
assembly As in a detachable manner. When vapor deposition source assembly
As is installed in the housing Hu, the vapor deposition source assembly
As is first inserted in a space in the center of the housing Hu, and is
fixed therein by inserting screws into a plurality of openings (not
shown) in the flange 135 of the vapor deposition source assembly As and
by engaging leading ends of the screws with screw receiver (not shown).
With this configuration, since the material receptacle 110 can be easily
attached and detached, replenishment of material can be readily carried
out.

EXPERIMENT

[0148]The inventors conducted a simulation as follows to investigate
whether a temperature gradient is generated between the carrier gas and
the vaporized film forming material when the carrier gas is introduced
into the first material evaporating chamber U after passing through the
gas passages 105p of the gas supply mechanism 105 in case of using the
above-described deposition source unit 100.

[0149]As for conditions for the simulation, an argon gas was supplied as a
carrier gas at a flow rate of about 10 sccm, and 42 gas passages 105p
having a diameter φ of about 2 mm were provided in the gas supply
mechanism 105. A temperature of the gas supply mechanism 105 was
controlled to about 450° C.

[0150]A simulation result under these conditions is shown in FIG. 8. As
shown, when the length of each of the 42 gas passages 105p is about 0.105
m (=10.5 cm), the temperature of the argon gas is about 431.5° C.
This level of temperature of the argon gas introduced into the first
material evaporating chamber U is deemed to be the same as the
temperature of the vaporized film forming material. As described above,
the inventors proved that a film forming rate can be controlled with high
accuracy by using the deposition apparatus 20 in accordance with the
present embodiment if the length of the gas passage 105p is equal to or
longer than about 10 cm based on the simulation result.

[0151]By using the deposition source unit 100 in accordance with the
present embodiment, a high-quality film can be formed on the substrate G
by controlling the film forming rate accurately.

First Modification Example

[0152]As illustrated in FIG. 9, a second material evaporating chamber
(second material evaporating member) 160 may be installed at any position
within the transfer path 115 to further vaporize the film forming
material. At this time, the second material evaporating chamber 160 may
be formed of a mesh-shaped metal member, a metal porous member, a
lattice-patterned pore, an orifice, or the like.

[0153]The second material evaporating chamber 160 is installed at a
position closer to the transport mechanism 200 than the first material
evaporating chamber U. Since the transport mechanism 200 is typically
controlled to about 450° C., a temperature of the second material
evaporating chamber 160 is typically higher than a temperature of the
first material evaporating chamber U. Accordingly, the film forming
material passing through the transfer path 115 in the housing Hu is
vaporized again when it passes through, for example, an opening of a
mesh-shaped member or a gap between pores of a porous member.
Accordingly, the film forming material transported by the carrier gas in
an incompletely gasified state can be vaporized completely. As a result,
a higher-quality film can be uniformly formed on the substrate G, and the
material efficiency can be improved.

Second Modification Example

[0154]Further, a cover 165 having lattice-patterned pores, mesh-shaped
openings or hole-shaped openings may be detachably installed to the top
of the first material evaporating chamber U of the deposition source unit
100 and serves as the top cover of the first material evaporating chamber
U. With this configuration, the vaporized film forming material can flow
toward the outside of the material receptacle 110 from the
lattice-patterned pores, the mesh-shaped openings or hole-shaped
openings, and a backflow of the film forming material in the material
receptacle 110, which may be caused by a flow of the carrier gas
transported into the first material evaporating chamber U, can be
prevented.

[0155]As described above, a high-quality film can be formed on the
substrate G by controlling a film forming rate with high accuracy in
accordance with the first embodiment and modification examples.

[0156](Temperature Controller)

[0157]Now, referring back to FIG. 5A, a temperature controller that
controls a temperature of the deposition source unit 100 having the
above-described configuration will be explained.

[0158]The temperature controller 180 includes a heating mechanism such as
the heater 120 and a cooling mechanism such as the water cooling jacket
150. As discussed above, the heater 120 heats the argon gas whose flow
velocity is reduced while it is passing through the narrow gas passages
105p. As a result, the argon gas can be heated up to the temperature
substantially equivalent to the vaporization temperature of the film
forming material. Further, the gas passages 105p are arranged so as to be
uniformly heated by the heater 120.

[0159]The water cooling jacket 150 is installed apart from the outer
peripheral surface of the housing Hu at a certain distance and cools the
deposition source unit 100 by using a cooling water without being
thermally affected by the adjacent deposition source unit. The water
cooling jacket 150 is made of, e.g., stainless steel. It is desirable to
install the water cooling jacket 150 apart from the outer peripheral
surface of the housing Hu at a certain distance to uniformly cool the
deposition source unit 100.

[0160]Conventionally, when performing maintenance for, e.g., material
replenishment, the operation of the apparatus has to be stopped for
almost a day until the deposition source unit is naturally cooled down.
In accordance with the above-described configuration, however,
maintenance time can be shortened because the deposition source unit 100
can be compulsively cooled by the water cooling jacket 150.

[0161](Quantity of Heat Received by the Deposition Source Unit)

[0162]Here, a quantity of heat received by a deposition source unit 100e2
located at a center position will be explained with reference to FIGS. 10
and 11.

[0163]An average time (average residence time τ) during which
molecules are in an adsorption state is expressed by
τ=τ0exp(Ea/kT), wherein Ea denotes an activation energy for
desorption. Here, T is an absolute temperature; k is a Boltzman constant;
and τ0 is a specific constant. From this formula, it is known
that the average residence time τ is a function of the absolute
temperature and an adhesion coefficient decreases with an increase of the
temperature (° C.). Based on this relationship, the temperature of
the transport mechanism 200 that transports organic film forming
molecules to the blowing port is typically set to be higher than the
temperature of the deposition source unit 100 so as to allow the organic
film forming molecules to reach the blowing port without adhering to the
transport path.

[0164]In an initial state, assume that the transport mechanism 200 is
controlled to about 450° C.; a deposition source unit 100e1 for
accommodating a host material therein is controlled to about 450°
C.; and deposition source units 100e2 and 100e3 for accommodating a
dopant material therein are controlled to about 200° C. and about
250° C., respectively, for example.

[0165]At this time, the deposition source unit 100e2 receives heat of
about 5.8 W from the transport mechanism 200 by heat conduction. Further,
the deposition source unit 100e2 also receives heat of about 6.4 W, 0.7 W
and 0.3 W from the adjacent deposition source units 100e1 and 100e3 and
the adjacent sidewall of the processing chamber Ch by heat radiation,
respectively.

[0166]In this way, each of the deposition source units 100e1 to 100e3 is
heated to a high temperature by receiving heat conducted or radiated from
the transport mechanism 200, the adjacent deposition source units and the
sidewall of the processing chamber Ch. Especially, since the deposition
source unit 100e2 located at the center-position receives radiated heat
from the deposition source units 100e1 and 100e3 located at both sides
thereof, its temperature is increased to a higher level.

[0167]For example, in case that the temperature of each of the adjacent
deposition source units 100e1 and 100e3 is set to be about 450°
C.; each of the deposition source units 100e1 to 100e3 has a bottle shape
(cylindrical shape) having a diameter of about 40 mm and a length of
about 110 mm; and each deposition source unit 100e is made of stainless
steel, the temperature of the deposition source unit 100e2 located at the
center-position increases from about 200° C. to 450° C. by
the heat radiated from the adjacent components, i.e., the deposition
source units 100e1 and 100e3 and the sidewall of the processing chamber
Ch even when no heat is transferred from the transport mechanism 200, as
illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0168]Meanwhile, FIG. 11 also shows that heat transfer efficiency is poor
in the processing chamber Ch maintained at a specific vacuum degree and
more than 20 hours is taken to raise the temperature of the deposition
source unit 100e2 from about 200° C. to 450° C.

[0169](Temperature Controller: Water Cooling Jacket)

[0170]However, in the temperature controller 180 in accordance with the
present embodiment, the water cooling jacket 150 is installed at a
position distanced from the outer peripheral surface of the housing at a
certain distance so as to surround the deposition source unit 100, as
shown in FIG. 12. In this configuration, since the water cooling jacket
150 absorbs heat conducted and radiated from an adjacent deposition
source unit 100 or adjacent members, an excessive temperature rise of the
deposition source unit 100 can be avoided.

[0171](Surface Roughness)

[0172]Further, the water cooling jacket 150 has a specific roughness on
its surface facing the housing Hu. Likewise, the housing Hu also has a
desired roughness on its surface facing the water cooling jacket 150.

[0173]Accordingly, an area of the water cooling jacket 150's surface
facing the housing Hu or an area of the outer peripheral surface of the
housing Hu increases. Thus, the housing can radiate the heat generated by
the heater 120 to the outside effectively, and the water cooling jacket
150 can effectively absorb the heat generated by the heater 120 to the
inside thereof.

[0174](Absorption and Reflection of Light)

[0175]The water cooling jacket 150's surface facing the housing Hu may be
processed so as to readily absorb heat. Further, the housing Hu's surface
facing the water cooling jacket 150 may be processed so as to readily
radiate the heat.

[0176]In this configuration, the housing radiates external heat whereas
the water cooling jacket absorbs it. As a result, by allowing the housing
Hu to have a high heat radiation rate and the water cooling jacket 150 to
have a high heat absorption rate, the housing can be more efficiently
cooled by the water cooling jacket 150 even under the vacuum where a heat
transfer efficiency is poor, and an excessive temperature rise of the
inside of the deposition source unit 100 can be prevented.

[0177]Further, the water cooling jacket 150's surface facing the housing
Hu and the housing Hu's surface facing the water cooling jacket 150 may
be processed by sandblast. However, the surface-processing by the
sandblast is nothing more than an example for roughening a target
surface, and fine irregularities can be formed on the surface by various
kinds of mechanical processing besides the sandblast.

[0178](Neck Portion of the Deposition Source Unit)

[0179]Further, the above-described deposition source unit of FIG. 5A has a
bottle-shaped neck portion which is narrowed at a position where the
transport path of the transport mechanism 200 and the transfer path 115
are connected with each other.

[0180]The bottle-shaped front portion (neck portion Hu2) of the deposition
source unit has a small cross section, so that it has a higher heat
resistance than that of the body portion (head portion Hu1) having a
large cross section. With this configuration, the heat resistance of the
neck portion Hu2 of the deposition source unit can be set to be higher
than that of the head portion Hu1 of the deposition source unit. That is,
heat transfer efficiency from the transport mechanism to the head portion
Hu1 of the deposition source unit via the neck portion Hu2 thereof can be
lowered. Accordingly, an excessive temperature rise of the first material
evaporating chamber U in the head portion Hu1 of the deposition source
unit can be suppressed.

[0181](Metal Seal)

[0182]Further, a connection portion of the transfer path 115 and the
transport mechanism 200 is sealed by metal seals 170. With this
configuration, the transfer path 115 and the transport mechanism 200 can
be hermetically sealed to prevent deterioration due to a heat from the
transport mechanism 200.

[0183]Moreover, the connection portion of the transfer path 115 and the
transport mechanism 200 may be configured to be in contact with only the
metal seals 170 without in contact with any other material. In this
configuration, since a non-contact portion is configured as a vacuum
space, thermal conductivity from the transport path to the deposition
source unit can be reduced by vacuum heat insulation. As a result, a
temperature gradient is generated between the transport path and the
deposition source unit, so that an excessive temperature rise of the
inside of the deposition source unit 100 can be prevented.

[0184]Moreover, the above described water cooling jacket 150, the surface
roughness on the inner surface of the water cooling jacket 150 or on the
outer peripheral surface of the housing Hu, the neck portion Hu2 of the
deposition source unit and the structure in the vicinity of the metal
seals 170 of the deposition source unit 100 constitute an example of a
cooling mechanism for cooling the deposition source unit 100.

[0185](Temperature Controller: Heater)

[0186]Further, as for the temperature controller 180 of the present
embodiment, the heater 120 is wound on the entire outer peripheral
surface of the housing Hu as an example of heating mechanism to heat the
argon gas passing through the plurality of gas passages 105p.

[0187]In this way, in the deposition apparatus 20 in accordance with the
present invention, the deposition source unit 100 having the plurality of
gas passages 105p therein can be controlled up to a desired temperature
with high responsiveness by the heater 120 installed in the temperature
controller 180 and the cooling mechanism such as the water cooling jacket
150 installed apart from the heater 120 at a certain distance. That is,
after cooling the deposition source unit 100 to a temperature slightly
lower than a target temperature, the temperature controller 180 heats the
carrier gas supplied from the plurality of gas passages 105p by the
heater 120 to a desired temperature.

[0188]As described above, the cooling mechanism is installed apart from
the heating mechanism at a certain distance and the deposition source
unit 100 serving as a temperature control target is previously cooled
down to the temperature slightly lower than the target temperature,
whereby the heating mechanism can quickly control the deposition source
unit 100 up to the target temperature even in a vacuum where the heat
transfer efficiency is poor. Further, by absorbing the heat generated
from the heating mechanism by the cooling mechanism installed apart from
the heating mechanism at a certain distance, a heat transfer to a
component except the deposition source unit 100 as a target can be
prevented. Accordingly, the temperature of the carrier gas can be quickly
and accurately controlled to be the same as that of the film forming
material vaporized from the material receptacle 110 even in the vacuum.
As a result, a high-quality film can be formed on the substrate G.

[0189](Experiment)

[0190]The inventors conducted a simulation as follows to investigate a
temperature variation by the cooling and heating of the deposition source
unit 100 by using the aforementioned temperature controller 180.

[0191]As shown in FIG. 12, the inventors assumed heat input from the
transport mechanism 200 (position p0) is about 450° C. When the
water cooling jacket 150 is operated without operating the heater 120
under this condition, the temperature of the first material evaporating
chamber U of the deposition source unit 100 is maintained at about
200° C. in spite of the heat input of about 450° C. It
implies that the heat transferred from the transport mechanism 200 can be
effectively absorbed by the water cooling jacket 150.

[0192]From the above-described experiment, the inventors have proved that
the deposition source unit 100 can be cooled to about 200° C. by
the cooling mechanism including the water cooling jacket 150 and so forth
when the heater 120 is not operated.

[0193]Subsequently, after cooling the deposition source unit 100
effectively under the condition of FIG. 5A, the inventors allowed the
carrier gas to be heated by the heater 120 up to a desired temperature. A
simulation result is provided in FIG. 5B.

[0194]At this time, the inventors assumed the heat input from the
transport mechanism 200 (position p0) is about 450° C. Further,
radiation coefficients ε at positions p1 to p6 are indicated by
ε1 to ε6, respectively. The radiation coefficients
ε are determined depending on the surface roughness of the inner
surface Is of the water cooling jacket 150, the surface roughness of the
outer peripheral surface Os of the housing Hu or shapes of the respective
components of the deposition source unit 100.

[0195]As can be seen from the result of FIG. 5B, although the temperatures
of the deposition source unit 100 at the respective positions p3 to p5
are high as about 450° C. for the heat input of about 450°
C., its temperature at the position p6 in the vicinity of the outer
periphery of the head portion Hu1 of the deposition source unit can be
maintained well at about 250° C. by the effect of the cooling
mechanism such as the water cooling jacket 150 shown at positions p1 and
p2.

[0196]From the above-described experiment, the inventors have proved that
the temperature of the carrier gas can be quickly and accurately
controlled to be the same as that of the film forming material vaporized
from the first material evaporating chamber U when both the heater 120
and the water cooling jacket 150 are operated, while a transfer of heat
generated at a part of the deposition apparatus 20 to the first material
evaporating chamber U by heat conductance and radiation is avoided. Thus,
the inventors have succeeded in developing the deposition source unit 100
capable of forming the high-quality film on the substrate G by
controlling a vaporization rate (i.e., a film forming rate on the target
object) quickly and accurately even in the vacuum by a combination of the
heating mechanism and the cooling mechanism.

[0197]Further, the inventors also conducted an experiment as to a
temperature gradient from the transport mechanism 200 to the head portion
Hu1 of the deposition source unit in case that a length of the neck
portion Hu2 of the deposition source unit was set to about 100 mm.

[0198]As a result, when the temperature of the transport mechanism 200 was
about 450° C., the temperature of the head portion Hu1 of the
deposition source unit was about 390° C. This result proves that
the neck portion Hu2 of the deposition source unit can be efficiently
cooled by a synergy effect with the water cooling jacket 150 if the neck
portion Hu2 is provided in the deposition source unit.

[0199]Moreover, as for a conventional deposition apparatus in which a
carrier gas heating pipe is connected to the outside and as for the
deposition source unit 100 in accordance with the present invention in
which a gas heating mechanism (gas supply mechanism 105) is installed
within the deposition source unit 100 instead of installing a long pipe
to the outside of the vapor deposition source, the inventors investigated
a variation of pressures within the vapor deposition sources.

[0200]As for conditions for the experiment, the carrier gas was flown at
about 0.5 sccm, and a carrier gas introducing rate was set to about
8.44×10-4 (Pam3/s). In the conventional deposition
apparatus in which the carrier gas heating pipe is connected to the
outside, a simulation value and a measured value of an internal pressure
of a bottle portion at the end of the were about 75 Pa. In comparison, an
internal pressure of the deposition source unit 100 in accordance with
the present embodiment was about 1 Pa, which is smaller than the
conventional result by a one-digit place. Since pressure and temperature
are proportional to each other, this result shows that the internal
temperature of the deposition source unit 100 in accordance with the
present invention is lower than the internal temperature of the bottle
portion at the end of the pipe by the one-digit place.

[0201]In accordance with the deposition apparatus 20 of the present
invention as described above, by heating the material receptacle 110 and
the plurality of gas passages 105p by the heating mechanism while cooling
the deposition source unit 100 in advance by the cooling mechanism even
under the vacuum, the film forming rate can be quickly and accurately
controlled, so that a high-quality film can be formed on the substrate G.

[0202]Further, the deposition apparatus 20 may have a configuration in
which a plurality of deposition source units 100 is connected to the
transport mechanism 200, and a water cooling jacket 150 is provided in at
least one of the connected deposition source units 100.

[0203]With this configuration, the water cooling jacket 150 can prevent a
temperature control within the deposition source unit 100 from being
affected by heat radiated from the adjacent deposition source unit 100 as
well as heat conductance or heat radiation from the transport mechanism
200. At this time, in case that the deposition source units 100 connected
to the transport mechanism 200 are three or more, it may be desirable to
install the water cooling jacket 150 at every deposition source unit 100.
In case that the water cooling jacket cannot be installed at every unit,
however, it may be desirable to first provide the cooling mechanism at a
deposition source unit in a central position, which is most highly likely
to be influenced by the heat radiation from each deposition source unit,
or at a deposition source unit having a lowest control temperature.

[0204]In the above-described embodiment and modification examples, the
argon gas has been used as the carrier gas. However, the carrier gas is
not limited to the argon gas, but any non-reactive gas such as a helium
gas, a krypton gas or a xenon gas may be employed.

[0205]In the present embodiment, the gas passages 105p were arranged in
multi-levels to have a ring-shaped pattern with respect to the central
axis O of the gas supply mechanism 105. However, the arrangement pattern
of the gas passages 105p is not limited thereto. For example, the gas
passages 105p may be installed in multi-levels from the lengthwise
central axis O of the gas supply mechanism 105 toward an outer periphery
(not in a ring-shaped pattern), or they may be installed in a ring-shaped
pattern (not in multi-levels) from the lengthwise central axis O of the
gas supply mechanism 105 toward the outer periphery. Moreover, the gas
passages 105p may be arranged symmetrically or in a radial pattern with
respect to the central axis O of the gas supply mechanism 105.

[0206]Further, there is no limit in a size of a glass substrate capable of
being processed by the deposition apparatus 20 in accordance with the
above-described embodiment and modification examples. For example, the
deposition apparatus 20 can consecutively carry out the film formation on
G4.5 substrates each having a size of about 730 mm×920 mm (internal
diameter of chamber: about 1000 mm×1190 mm) or G5 substrates each
having a size of about 1100 mm×1300 mm (internal diameter of
chamber: about 1470 mm×1590 mm). Further, besides the glass
substrate having the above-specified size, a silicon wafer of about 200
mm or 300 mm may be used as the target object processed by the deposition
apparatus 20 in the above embodiment.

[0207]In the above-described embodiments, operations of respective
components are interrelated and can be substituted with a series of
operations in consideration of such an interrelation. By this
substitution, the embodiment of the deposition apparatus can be applied
to an embodiment of a method for using a deposition apparatus and an
embodiment of a method for controlling a temperature of the deposition
apparatus.

[0208]Though the above description has been provided with respect to the
embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto. It would be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the
invention as defined in the following claims. Those changes and
modifications are all included in the technical scope of the present
invention.

[0209]For example, in the deposition apparatus 20 in accordance with the
above-described embodiment, an organic EL multi-layer film forming
process is performed on the substrate G by using a powder-shaped (solid)
organic EL material as a film forming material. However, the deposition
apparatus in accordance with the present invention can also be employed
in a MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) for forming a thin
film on a target object by decomposing a film forming material vaporized
from, e.g., a liquid organic metal above the target object heated up to
about 500 to 700° C.